Anyone in the aerospace industry? Tips on colleges to look at?

[berettafan]

Looking for a good fit for my son who is a junior in HS. We've googled the question but i'm wondering if there are folks working in the industry who have a more direct insight into what good companies are looking for in new hires. I'm a tax guy and wife is a teacher so we've got zero direct knowledge on the subject.

[id10t]

What part of the aerospace industry? Materials? Design? Technology?

I've got a buddy who is a CIO at a aerospace place, but now you know everything I do about it.

Off hand I'd say certainly Embry-Riddle and after that probably any major engineering school at least thru the BSsci or BEng degree, who knows for masters or beyond.

[Chocaholic]

My son graduated from Georgia Tech in Aerospace Engineering. It was a brutally difficult program. Not sure I’d recommend it unless your lad is a masochist. He studied relentlessly, through weekends, holidays, all hours. Lost weight, had almost no social life, heavy stress, etc. I suspect there are more moderate paths to achieve the same or similar.

We often encouraged him to switch to University of Alabama in Huntsville, but he was determined to have GT on his diploma. Also a matter of what your son wants to do (space or air).

[Seahawk]

As other have mentioned, Aerospace covers a lot of disciplines.

I am not an engineer but I can say that we, as a company, have dealt with North Carolina State University professors and under graduate aerospace interns on two projects.

We also team with Virginia Tech.

They are both excellent.

The thing we look for, as a small company, are a varied skill set and actual work experience as interns.

We highly value CAD experience and competence, modelling ability, and hands on work...just because it looks pretty in CAD doesn't mean it can be manufactured.

Look for a school that has classes that allow the students to actually get familiar with modern manufacturing techniques, assembly, component and end item testing, etc. as well as intern placement. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Good luck!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I’m an aerospace engineer by education and work for a defense company running ISR special aircraft programs. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you’d like to have some more detailed discussions. Does he specifically want to do aerospace engineering or just be an engineer in aerospace? I ask because he could get a mechanical engineering degree and still qualify for probably 80% of the same positions. Having an AE degree does carry a little more weight if you work in aerospace but it’s also typically at least another semester of very difficult courses over and above an ME degree path.

I graduated from Wichita State University which I would rate as good but not exceptional, in my opinion they lacked in applied education, it was mostly book learning. One huge perk of WSU is the availability of internships though, which is huge for future employment. WSU does a good job with their intern program and there are many local aerospace companies. Another good one not yet mentioned is Oklahoma State. I know quite a few OSU grads and they do an exceptional job of supplementing book learning with hands on education. For instance you won’t only learn the theory behind the operation of a jet engine, then you’ll go to lab and take one apart to see how it works. Stuff like that.

Another consideration is where he wants to live. Ideally you go to school on the same city or region so you can get internships in college that leverage into a full time position upon graduation. That’s how I got my start. What specifically is he interested in within aerospace?

[berettafan]

Wow awesome input guys thank you! OWP once he's getting more specific on fields (IF i should say) i'll borrow some of your time. It sounds like proximity to good internships is a big deal so that will certainly become a consideration.

Appreciate the comments on GT as that is one that could be on the list if a bit of a stretch. He's giving thought to Patriot League schools at his travel ball coaches suggestion and there are some schools he might be a good fit for. When it gets down to decision time i think we're gonna put heavy weight on quality professors that engage the students and build relationships with them rather than 'here's your work, see you next week'.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

With all due respect to the rest of the world, California is still the home of all things aerospace. Every Aerospace corporation has tried to leave California for decades, but they realize the "brain drain" starts @ the state border and the design labs stay put.
The old long haired hippies who do the theoretical research & designs have yet to leave, but they are aging. Cal Tech is still a premier institute and JPL is full of those folks.
BTW, Flying and landing a pencil was invented by Space X , the rest of the world is still playing catch up

[onewhippedpuppy]

While CA still has a strong aerospace presence it is in decline from a total employment standpoint and has been for at least a decade (much like Wichita btw). I have to think that working from home will only accelerate this trend as companies move to eliminate expensive office space and centralize physical locations in pro-business climates. One other strike against CA is that aerospace isn’t a conventional cluster, it’s distributed. LA, San Diego, and the desert all have a presence, which makes it tough to move between companies. Plus I’ve never known anyone who could make it for more than 2 years in Mojave. My son is also a junior and also interested in AE, I would push him more towards a growing area like DFW, Huntsville, or the FL space coast, where companies are growing their presence and the local/state government is aggressively incentivizing aerospace companies to relocate there.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Beretta if he would ever like to have a conversation about what the industry and education is like I’d be happy to help. I’ve done a little bit of everything except space.

[berettafan]

OWP i'll definitely take you up on that. I'd like him to have some more time looking at schools and the industry in general first so he can get the most out of a conversation. At this point it's just a general direction he's interested in and has an aptitude for.

I'm still holding out some small hope for a service academy as i think it really fits his qualities to a tee but that's something a kid needs to really want and commit to and i'm not sure how it would relate to a position in the private world post service.

[Bugsinrugs]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

My son graduated from Georgia Tech in Aerospace Engineering. It was a brutally difficult program. Not sure I’d recommend it unless your lad is a masochist. Sam studied relentlessly, through weekends, holidays, all hours. Lost weight, had almost no social life, heavy stress, etc. I suspect there are more moderate paths to achieve the same or similar.

We often encouraged him to switch to University of Alabama in Huntsville, but he was determined to have GT on his diploma. Also a matter of what your son wants to do (space or air).

You have one hell of a son. I’m in awe of kids like yours!

[astrochex]

I have worked in the defense industry for 35 years. My BS is in aerospace. There was maybe a 6 month period when I directly used skills I learned for aero. Except geometry, I am always using geometry. That said, the key is a STEM degree; that is a basic qualification. My coworker’s degrees include aerospace, mechanical, computer science, and electrical. Most have also earned Master’s through the companies.

Another observation is that geography is important. Companies will recruit interns from local universities. Interns gain experience and connections which generally leads to solid employment. Your son should look at who is doing what and find companies and programs that are interesting to him. That could inform school choice.

Good luck to him.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

You have one hell of a son. I’m in awe of kids like yours!

Thank you Bugs. I could have never done it. His attitude is, if you have a “plan B” you are not committed.

He’s an army aviation officer now, stationed in the ME. No idea what his work looks like but he’s enjoying every minute. The more time in the cockpit, the happier he is. Says it’s way better than GT was. He got the brains and self discipline in the family.

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Looking for a good fit for my son who is a junior in HS. We've googled the question but i'm wondering if there are folks working in the industry who have a more direct insight into what good companies are looking for in new hires. I'm a tax guy and wife is a teacher so we've got zero direct knowledge on the subject.

Have you looked at Georgia Tech? My son got his undergraduate degree there in Mechanical Engineering and was able to pick up an aerospace job almost immediately after graduating. A great school, pretty hard to get into and a bit pricey, especially for out of state students. Last time I looked, GT was one of the top 5 engineering schools in the country.

[Scott Douglas]

My son is a classic example of it's not the school you went to but rather the way you use what you learned in school.
PM me if you're interested in hearing more.

[kevin993]

I hesitate to opine given the depth of expertise that is already weighing in, but don't neglect the value of experience outside the classroom. The passionate kids are making their own rockets, building SAE race cars and trying things just to watch them break or fail. The entrepreneurial spirit and passion will open doors and improve the odds of finding interesting opportunities.